The present invention relates to an information providing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information management apparatus capable of reliable management of distributed information and an information providing system employing the same information-management apparatus.
Advanced computerization has promoted the establishment of various information providing systems, such as the Dial Q2 System using telephone lines.
When an information providing system provides copyrighted pieces of information, such as matters of musical works or motion pictures, the reliability of management of the copyrights of the information is one of important factors that decide the economical feasibility of the information providing system. Particularly, when the information providing system provides information represented by digital signals, the importance of the reliability of copyright management is further significant because digital signals can be copied without entailing significant signal degradation. A method of inhibiting copying information disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. 1-288582 mixes false signals for causing the automatic gain control system of VTRs to malfunction in digital signals representing information to degrade the quality of pictures copied on recording tapes.
On the other hand, in a country where cable television broadcasting systems are widespread, such as the U.S.A., it is possible to develop information providing systems that provide digital signals representing information desired by subscribers, such as video software, and use the cable television broadcasting systems as information transfer means. Newly released films are particularly high-valued matters of video software. When providing such high-valued matters of video software, it is essential to establish a highly intelligent information management system capable of dealing with limiting the number of reproducing cycles as well as inhibiting copying. The aforesaid known method of inhibiting copying information is incapable of dealing with limiting the number of reproducing cycles.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information management apparatus capable of solving the problems in the prior art and of surely imposing restrictions on distributed information reproducing operations and the number of cycles of reproduction of distributed information, and an information providing system employing the same information management apparatus.
With the foregoing object in view, the present invention provides a receiving means provided with a means for recording distributed information and control information limiting the number of main information reproducing cycles on a recording medium, and a main information reproducing means provided with a reproduction disabling means for limiting the reproduction of main information.
The present invention employs the following means for the control information.
A means for recording as the control information allowable condition information representing allowable conditions for the reproduction of the main information distributed by the information provider;
A means for recording as control information execution process information representing the process of operations of means for reproducing the main information;
A disable control means that compares the allowable condition information and the execution process information, and actuates the reproduction disabling means according to the result of comparison, the disable control means being provided in the main information reproducing means;
A means for recording as the control information accounting information for charging the reproduction of the main information by the main information reproducing means;
A means for recording the control information near a position where an operation for recording the main information in the recording medium and/or an operation for reproducing the main information is started and/or terminated;
A means for recording the control information in a recording medium storing the main information or in a second recording medium formed integrally with the recording medium storing the main information; and
A means for recording and reproducing the control information with the reproducing head of the main information reproducing means.
The present invention also employs the following means for limiting the number of cycles of reproduction;
A reproduction disabling means disables the main information reproducing operation of the main information reproducing means for reproducing a portion of the main information which has already been reproduced, or disables the main information reproducing operation after the main information has been reproduced once or after the main information has been reproduced an allowable number of times;
A detecting means for detecting the number of executed reproducing cycles and actuating the reproduction disabling means upon the increase of the detected number of executed reproducing cycles to a given number of reproducing cycles, the detecting means being provided in the reproduction disabling means in 8);
A decision means for deciding whether or not the operation of the reproduction disabling means is normal, and inhibiting the reproduction of the information when the operation of the reproduction disabling means is abnormal, the decision means being provided in the reproduction disabling means in 8);
The reproduction disabling means in 8) inhibiting the backward reproduction of the main information by the main information reproducing means;
The recording medium in 8) wherein it is capable of being detachably loaded into the main information reproducing means, and, once the recording medium is removed from the main information reproducing means while the main information is being reproduced, the restart of the reproduction of the main information is refused when the recording medium is loaded again into the main information reproducing means;
The reproduction disabling means in 8) provided with a main information degrading means for degrading or erasing at least a portion of the main information or a main information erasing means; and
A degrading or erasing head disposed after the reproducing head, as the main information degrading means or the main information erasing means in 13).
The control information comprises the allowable condition information representing allowable conditions for main information reproduction, and the execution process information representing the process of execution of main information reproduction to impose restrictions on the number of reproducing cycles to be carried out by the receiving means and the like according to the control information. The control information is recorded on the recording medium and the number of reproducing cycles is limited according to the contents of the control information. When reproducing the main information, new reproducing cycle information is recorded as the execution process information to have an accurate grasp of the number of reproducing cycles carried out by the receiving means.
The control information is recorded on the recording medium near a position where an operation for recording the main information and/or an operation for reproducing the main information is started and/or terminated to enable the reproduction of the control information immediately at the start of the next reproducing cycle to have an accurate grasp of the reproducing conditions and the number of reproducing cycles.
The control information is recorded on the recording medium for storing the main information or on a second recording medium formed integrally with the recording medium for storing the main information. When recording the control information on the second recording medium, measures are taken to prevent confusion of the main information stored in the recording medium with the control information stored in the second recording medium.
A reproducing apparatus or a recording/reproducing apparatus for reproducing the main information disables the reproduction of the information recorded on an information recording medium after the information has been reproduced or the number of executed reproducing cycles reaches the allowable number of reproducing cycles.
The reproduction disabling means erase at least a portion of the signals recorded on the information recording medium or rewrite at least a portion of the signals for another signal.
The decision means of the reproduction disabling means actuates the reproduction disabling means upon the detection of the abnormal operation of the reproduction disabling means.
The decision means of the reproduction disabling means records an operation confirmation signal before the signals recorded on the information recording medium, searches for the operation confirmation signal in the next reproducing cycle, and decides that the reproduction disabling means is abnormal when the operation confirmation signal is found.
When the information recording/reproducing apparatus is helical scanning VTR, the reproduction disabling means (erasing head) erases a track before a track scanned with the recording/reproducing head.
In a reproducing apparatus or a recording/reproducing apparatus for time division data, the reproduction disabling means erases the time division data after reproduction or in the next time division data reproducing cycle.
The reproducing apparatus or the recording/reproducing apparatus for the information receives information to be recorded and allowable number of reproducing cycles information through a communication line. The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings.